"H&K Contract Rifle"???

O

obxemt

New member
Reference the H&K/CETME/G3 clone running around on other sites and certain magazines, what exactly does "H&K Contract Rifle" mean? I've searched and have not found this directly addressed.
 
Last I heard, a contract was when there was a bounty on someone. Not sure if this is the case though.
 
I think they say, "HK contract rifle" because most people would otherwise have no idea that the CETME models A through C are related to the HK G3.

Some former Mauser employees went to work for CETME in Spain after WWII and were part of the new battle rifle design team. When Germany started to re-arm, they returned to Germany and took copies of the rifle design with them. Not long after the design team split, the two, now somewhat different designs, were finalized.

Although similar in most ways, the devil is in the details, so very few parts are fully interchangeable (ie: without modification).
 
I think the contract rifles you refer to are the FMP variants from Portugal. The term contract means that FMP(and similar entities) received machinery, blueprints and permission from the parent company to produce certain unique firearms under the same quality control standards as the originals.. In the case of FMP, the G3/91 is the biggie. Basicly what you are getting is a HK91 that says FMP on it. In the case of the new lot that SOG is selling, they are put together by CAI with the necessary US parts to allow them to keep the pistol grip. I took a chance and ordered one and should have it this week. I could not get an answer as to who made the US parts and I was somewhat wary of the monkeys at CAI putting the pieces together. The price won out though and I will be happy to post a report once the puppy gets here. Have 1K of FMN 308 that is just begging to get burned. More to follow.
 
I have a Century G3 clone. I am most impressed with it. It has the H&K internal parts as well as the barrel, lower receiver, trigger pack, front and rear sights and the buttstock/recoil spring mount.

The buttstock itself, the forend and the upper receiver plus several other small parts are made in the US to conform to the AWB.

It is reliable, VERY accurate, and didn't cost me $2500. These clones take all H&K accesories and parts seem to be interchangable.

The finish was great out of the box, though not quite like H&K's finish. The only problem I'm having is trying to determine if the upper is made of stainless or carbon steel. I can't tell. Century told me it was carbon steel, but I've heard conflicting information from folks on this board and others. Some say carbon and some say stainless.

Anyway, I think that the Century is the best bang for the dollar.

I have an ARMS claw mount on mine with a Bushnell 3-9x40 scope, a Harris bipod, Uncle Mike's Hand All grip sleeve and a cheek rest on the stock. I love it. I'm going to get a PSG-1 grip for it soon.
 
Is it cast steel or is the receiver stamped? If it's cast, then it's the stainless version that Special Weapons sold some time ago.

I should have mentioned some of the true Hk contract rifle for contrast. Some are:

Portugal = FMP (eg: "G3", "G3S", "SLG95")
Greece = Hellenic Arms (eg: Springfield's original "SAR3" and "SAR8")
Pakistan = not sure what they're called, but mags often marked, "POF" (some would argue they should be marked, "POS")
Norway = AG3

Some HK enthusiasts bad mouth the contract rifles for some reason. In this day and age, however, the contract rifles are the cheapest and best way to get into new-made HK style weapons.

Now if we could just get good US-made barrels...
 
It sure doesn't look stamped and rolled so it must be cast.

H&K91.com had a post on this subject but because their server is always screwed up I couldn't post my question.

Is there any guaranteed way to tell if this is stainless or carbon without soaking it in a bucket of water?:eek:
 
How thick is the receiver? If it's about the same thickness as the stamped metal on your buttstock assembly, then the receiver is stamped.

If it's quite a bit thicker than the buttstock metal, but steps down to allow the buttstock to fit over the rear end, then it's cast. I dont' know what stainless alloy they used, but magnetism may further confirm.

I'm assuming this is not the Federal Arms cast aluminium style that has the integral weaver rail along the top of the receiver, right?
 
If it's a stamped steel reciever, chances are it a Hesse. These are a crap shoot and usually work great or not at all. There are some FMP stamped recievers still around to build on that seem better, but cost twice as much.
 
It's about as thick as the butstock metal and does not step down to allow it to mount. It just slips over the end of the receiver. It does not have the integrated weaver rail.

I tried the magnet test. It stuck like it was regular steel. The receiver has Century Arms International on the mag well along with the caliber and location of the company.
 
The "contract G3" currently being referred to on the Hk sites are Century assembled guns using Portugese INDEP receivers.
 
I don't think Century uses Portugese receivers. In the past, they've used Hesse's, out of St Paul, MN, stamped steel and Special Weapons' cast steel receivers.
 
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